How do you "prep" a module for editing?

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

I've gotten back to trying how to figure out module editing, my problem is I don't know what to export and what to do with it, the DD tut was really specific to a certain situation.

 

So here's what I want to start with, I want to "prep" the NIH command deck (not the bridge...yet) to get it to the point where I can connect it to others, and start stickin stuff in there,

I want to start off with two "clones" of that module that will connect to each other and be seperate decks of a ship.

 

In terms more specific to this particular situation,

How do I do this, and what needs to be cut to clean it up, and what needs to stay for the module to actually work ingame?

 

thanks for reading,

sincerely, n00b

[TheOssusKeeper]

select the module(s) you want (both parts of the module) and hit the export button to the left and save them in a working folder (try using the same name as the module you are editing for the working folder) then go to that folder make your changes to the file you desire and then pack them up in a .mod (with the sam name as the original module (so the game can find it))...

take both .rim files (the originals) out of the module folder and place the new .mod file in... you should be good to go (i think)

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

I've dled new area mods before, so I know to put the files in Module,

I just don't know what I can and can't take out and edit.

What is crutial to the module "working"?

What do I have to get rid of to have a shiny new empty module?

[TheOssusKeeper]

aahhh, I see... Not sure about what needs to stay and what can go... sorry

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

Thanks anyway mon:D

[RedHawke]

RJM,

 

Prepping a module for your use is as much modding intuition as it is skill. You need to have a good idea of the files involved, and what they do.

 

Basic rule of thumb is to be sure that you extract the 3 module files, all the placeables the module uses, the doors, and any possible triggers and waypoints, especially ones that take you to the Hawk or are ones you want to use to connect levels together.

 

Then you can start playing with adding or removing things from the .git file. Also creating other files as needed.

 

I would strongly suggest doing DD tutorial all the way through sucessfully, then "play" with that module some, adding in stuff until you are comfortable enough with the process before attempting your own level. But you can take this advice or not.

 

I hope this helps!

[Fred Tetra]

Whether the module you want to work with is supported with a map in the module editor or not, this is a pretty easy task. (To check for support, use the Tools | Show Maps supported by Module editor menu.)

 

Find the name of the module you want to work with in the treeview under Kotor I(I) | RIMs | Modules. Right click on it and select Extract for Module Editing....

 

In the Resource Type Selector, check the boxes for the module resources that you want to extract, then click the OK button.

 

Now select where the module will be extracted to, then click the OK button.

 

Finally, a dialog box will come up asking if you want the .GIT cleaned of all non-extracted entities. This will remove any references to files that are part of the original module that you didn't extract. Click the Yes button.

 

If the module is one for which a map exists, you should now be able to launch the Module editor and open the folder (your module's "project folder") and see the module. It will be completely empty. If you build the module (F5 key or menu item on the File menu), you'll be prompted (once) for the output path for the resulting .mod file. I like to have them go right into the game's override folder, to make testing easier. Now you just need to load a saved game, then warp to the name you gave to the .mod file to see the results.

 

Otherwise, you can use K-GFF to edit the .are, .git and .ifo files manually.

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

@Redhawke, can anything I delete be added back in later?

So if I deleted a door, can I just find it in the original and add it back in?

 

And I thought waypoints was one of the things the DD tut said to cut?

I also think the reason I'm having trouble with it is because there seem to be differences between KI and TSL? or am I just looking at it wrong?

 

Basically what I was wanting to cut was the opening cutscene and all the characters, but leave everything else working.

 

But your advice makes good sense, I've been trying to apply everything about the tatooine module to the ravager module, and getting nowhere.

 

@Fred, so when you referr to the non-ee's does that mean the things I've been deleting with k-gff like Characters?

 

Thanks for the help:)

[Fred Tetra]

Fred, so when you referr to the non-ee's does that mean the things I've been deleting with k-gff like Characters?

 

Thanks for the help:)

 

Yes. Any item category (creatures, doors, etc.) that you chose not to extract from the .RIM fileset will have its corresponding list cleared in the .git file when you choose "Yes" in the question dialog.

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

Okay, I finished the tut, loaded it up, and the second I popped in to the module I had one angry selkath in front of me!???

 

The only thing I did different from the tut is use the DLGEditor instead of the dlgedit, I've used it before, and it worked fine for me then,

I put the attack script name in the extra blank dialog right after "not if I have something to do with it" or whatever it was,

Any idea, cuz I'm drawing a blank?

 

Also, it seemed slower than the original did?

Not quite "dantooine" slow, but a slight dip in framerate, if that narrows it down...

 

I couldn't get that to work, so I tried getting back to my original plan, and basically applied what I could from the tut to the ravager module, but without adding anything,

when I typed in the [warp mymodule] it didn't even recognize the name?

[Kha]

Hi,

 

Do you know where can I find this DD tutorial?

Thank you

 

[Edit]oh! I've found it here: http://doomdealer.tripod.com/

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

Okay, I've tried just copying the original packing it into a .mod and renaming it.

 

It doesn't seem to have any glitches so far, I was able to cut the beginning sequence, all the characters, and get rid of the video related to Visas' chambers.

 

Would anyone who knows this stuff well be interested in checking what I've got, and telling me what else I can safely cut and what I might have cut that will need to be replaced for future use? Thanks in advance:)

 

A few other questions,

 

I have the problem of the original module, I can't swap party members, it's locked, is this something I can unlock with k-gff or is it "hardwired into the module?

 

I don't know much more about placeables, other than that they are placeable:D

Can every single table, chair, locker, and wierd generator looking thing be erased or moved, or are some of those part of the module model?

 

Is it possible to change lighting effects in the modules, if so, is it also possible to make

"dimmer switches" in consoles where you can customize your lighting?

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

Okay, now I've got both the fuselage and the bridge as empty as I can without messing with things I don't understand.

 

Are paths something to do with the model, that's the only thing I can think of from what I've seen in the gff?

[Fred Tetra]

A few other questions,

 

I don't know much more about placeables, other than that they are placeable:D

Can every single table, chair, locker, and wierd generator looking thing be erased or moved, or are some of those part of the module model?

 

Some things are part of the models that make up a module. Placeables are usually smaller things.

 

Is it possible to change lighting effects in the modules, if so, is it also possible to make

"dimmer switches" in consoles where you can customize your lighting?

 

You can affect some of the lighting in a module, and though the brightness seems fixed, the coloration is adjustable. In Kotor Tool's module editor, you can right-click anywhere empty on the map surface to get the Module Properties menu, which will launch the editor for it. You can adjust all sorts of things like weather, music, day/night transitions (yes, there is day and night in the game engine!) and more.

 

Are paths something to do with the model, that's the only thing I can think of from what I've seen in the gff?

 

Don't mess with the .pth file From what I can tell, NPCs use it to navigate the module without getting hung up.

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

I kind of answered my own question a little while ago when I found a bunch of chair and table placeables in the .git,

but is there no way to get rid of those generator looking gizmos that are in many of the rooms, they always seem to be in the way, if not they are going to be hard to explain in the story;)

 

What kind of weather? Does it work indoors?

and can day/night be toggled with a script attached to a computer console?

 

I wasn't going to mess with paths, I was just curious about them:)

[Fred Tetra]

I kind of answered my own question a little while ago when I found a bunch of chair and table placeables in the .git,

but is there no way to get rid of those generator looking gizmos that are in many of the rooms, they always seem to be in the way, if not they are going to be hard to explain in the story;)

 

What kind of weather? Does it work indoors?

and can day/night be toggled with a script attached to a computer console?

 

I wasn't going to mess with paths, I was just curious about them:)

 

You can make it rain, snow, and have lightning indoors. I've done this, and you can even set which rooms the weather effects don't show up in, all in the Module Properties editor.

 

I think you can move the time forward in a script, IIRC, which would make the day/night period cycle:

 

void SetTime(int nHour,int nMinute,int nSecond,int nMillisecond);

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

The weather effects would be excellent for life support adaptable rooms for transporting sentients from extreme environments:D

 

But what if story elements relied on time based scripting?

 

Is there a way to just make it light or dark?

 

P.S. I figured out placeables...HOORAY:D I put a starmap right in the middle of the room:D